June 24, 2026 • 9 mins
Justin celebrates an important milestone today.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, let's go. I'm feeling extra chippy today. It
(00:02):
is Wednesday, June twenty fourth. Yes, my anniversary is today,
my clean date, eighteen years. It's just kind of like
every other day, but it is a day of celebration
for me. You know, it's a day of remembrance and
reflecting on my life, my recovery, my journey, and gratitude
really for all that I've done, how far I've come,
(00:23):
and what I've been able to accomplish. So shout out
to everybody that reached out to me, DMS, calls, talkbacks.
I really really do appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Justin I just want to say thank you. You have
been an inspiration to me. I've been sober for six
weeks and one day after forty years of drinking too
much and struggling period. And I have thought to myself
so many times when I hear you, if he can
(00:51):
do it, I can do it, period. So thank you
for everything, and.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Congrats congratulations to you, because one day is a miracle.
And I love getting those messages. I love hearing that
you know this is a terrible disease. You know, it's
a terrible, terrible, terrible disease. Addiction is one of the
hardest things to overcome. So many of my friends, so
many members of my family, are still struggling that cannot
(01:18):
find a way out, that can't get one day clean.
I share a lot about that on this podcast. So
to get one day is a really America And I
say that all the time because I never thought I
could get one day. That's what it was. I was stuck.
I couldn't get one day. And then when I got
one day, then it was like, well you can get
two days, and then it goes on and on and on,
(01:38):
you know. And I've had lengths of time and relapsed, right,
I had six months before and I relapsed, or you know,
if I was in jail and I wasn't using there
a little bit of time, but I always went back
because I never did the work on myself. You know,
the work is what carries you through. If you don't
change anything in your life, then things aren't going to change.
They're going to stay the same and you're going to
revert back to you know, old behaviors. Character defects all
(02:02):
those things.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Good morning, justin. I woke up this morning and realized
it was Wednesday, and the first thing that crossed my
mind is it is your clean date. So I just
wanted to send you a talk back say congratulations, We're
all proud of you and inspired by you, and keep going.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Ah, thank you, thank you, thank you so much. You know.
I did get so many dms too about a Monday's
podcast about my son and the Father's Day gift and
his baseball tryouts, and then yesterday the Power of Recovery. Guys.
You know, I don't do this podcast. I don't intentionally
make it emotional. I'm really just sharing. That's just really
(02:39):
what it is. I'm just being honest and I'm being
open because I think that being transparent matters. You know,
I don't want to get on here and put on
and you know I'm honest on the air too, but
you know, you limited it on what you can say
in how deep you can go on things. And I
feel like the after Show podcast and you guys, the
Apter Show Army, you know, I can share more about
(03:00):
my life and recovery is like the biggest thing in
my life. My family's the biggest thing in my life.
All those things matter, you know, and that's what I
talk about on this podcast. And I love hearing from
you guys, especially people that struggle and they hear the
message like I got one earlier. Oh my god, this
one's crazy. I want to save it for Maddie and Damon,
(03:20):
but I'll play it now.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Congratulations Justin on eighteen years sober.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
I am fifteen days today and a lot of that
is because of the.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Commercials that you guys run for Power of Recovery.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So I appreciate you guys, and congratulations. Yeah, it's it's
a happy day, but it's emotional as well. So you know,
the first like five years, ten years, you know, I
would like make a big celebration about it because it is.
It is a big day you should celebrate every year.
And I will celebrate, you know, in a sense like
(03:57):
I'm gonna go to a meeting not till you lie,
because I'm gonna go after the fourth of July. But
you know, we used to have these big, big celebrations
with like cake and we go out to dinner, and
you know, everyone's lives have kind of changed. The honest
to God's truth is most of the people that I
got clean with are not clean anymore. You know, they're
not here anymore. Some of them have passed on. Some
(04:17):
of them, you know, have started drinking or smoking weed
or are literally on the street. It's all different things
that are happening. You know. So many times in my
eighteen years, I would build a crew and then the
crew would disband, you know, because we have a disease
that wants us to go. Man, it wants us to go,
(04:38):
and it's really hard, you know. So I got a
couple of my day ones, and you know, I have
a few of my friends, really really close friends that
I got clean with that left recovery. You know, And
because you leave recovery does not mean and this is
this was a hard pill for me to swallow, right
because I was always all in. That's who I am
as a person. That's the kind of addict I am.
(04:59):
I can't be I have one foot in and one
foot out, meaning I can't like drink hair there, or
smoke weed hair there, or a pill hair or there.
I got to be like all in. That's just how
I am. And not everyone is like that. There are
people who get clean and leave recovery and start drinking
or they start smoking weed, and they continue on with
(05:20):
their life. Now that doesn't mean at some point the
addiction in the disease is going to come after them again.
That could very well happen. It is a big, big risk.
And that's what I tell people that make that decision
or are thinking about making that decision. If you are clean,
you are in recovery and you kind of get bored
with it, or you know, your head's telling you. You know,
I can drink, I can be normal. I want to
(05:41):
be social. I want to go out on the weekends.
I want to have a drink on a hot summer day.
You know, I say that to them. That's all well
and good. You are your own human. You can make
your own decision. But is it worth the risk? That's
always what I say. For me, it's not I don't
want to lose this, so I don't fuck around with it.
But yeah, all of my friends, really close friends, made
(06:02):
that decision, and you know what, they're still living their
lives like they haven't been messed up. You know, they're
still going to work and they have families and they
have jobs, and I still see them. You know, they
don't like do that stuff around me, and you know
our relationship isn't as close as it was, you know,
because when they have free time right, when they're not working.
We have busy lives, they have kids and jobs. When
(06:24):
they're not working and spending time, you know, they want
to like relax and have a drink. And they're not
having a drink at Justin's house, you know what I mean.
They're not coming to my house and firing up a
joint or smoking a bowl or whatever they do. They're
not doing that at my house. So the time we
spent together eliminated. But it doesn't matter, Like I don't
love them any less. I don't judge them for that.
And early on in my recovery, I did you know,
I was very hardcore. You know they they talk about
(06:46):
you know, when I tell my story, I talk about
the three people that I've been you know, in my life,
you know, in my recovery.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Right.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
And I got this from like one of my biggest
mentors in recovery. It's like when you when you get clean,
your attict man, right, three men. I was attic man
when I got clean, meaning I was the craziest addict
all my jail stories, et cetera, et cetera. Like that's
that was my identity. I was attic man. Right, And
then you get into recovery, and that switches and then
(07:15):
and then the the active addiction stuff and drug talk
and prison talk. That doesn't cut it anymore because you know,
you're trying to stay clean and you don't live that
life anymore. And then you become recovery man, right, and
now you're speaking all the time, and you're helping people,
and you're sponsoring people, and you're you know, you're just
giving the message away. Recovery is everything. I had t shirts,
(07:36):
I had socks. My wife had had panties that said
keep coming. That's one of the phrases that we say
to people, keep coming, keep coming back, so get it.
It's kind of dirty little thing. Anyway, she had that thong.
And then eventually you move past recovery man, and then
you just realize that you're human, right, is that you're
not You're not recovery man, You're not attic man. You're
(07:56):
just a human being trying to live your life and
be a good person. You know. So when I was recovered,
when I was recovery man, I used to judge those
people like, if you relapsed, you were done for. I
did not believe that you were going to make it.
And it's just not true. Everybody recovers differently. You need
to find out what works for you. And if you're
(08:17):
listening to this and you're like that person that has
fifteen days clean and you just heard me say that,
and you think to yourself, well maybe I can be
one of those people. Well, the next thought you need
to ask yourself. The next question you need to ask
yourself is it worth the risk? Think about that you
pain that you felt leading up to you getting sober,
Think about that bottom, think about when you lost something,
(08:39):
lost everything, the pain, the suffering, drinking or using against
your will. Is the risk worth going back to that?
That's what you need to ask yourself and answer that
question honestly. If you still think that the risk is
worth it is worth that pain again, then try it.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
But I.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Really discourage you from doing that. So I just want
to say thank you to all the well wishes. I really, really,
really really appreciate it so so much. I love this podcast.
I love the after show Army and if you missed
Power of Recovery yesterday, please listen to it. It was
really good. I really liked Maddie's story. It was fantastic
to see where he came from and you know, we
got clean around the same time. And to see you know,
(09:19):
me grow in the entertainment business and him grow in
the recovery world and everything that I've accomplished and he's accomplished,
you know, very similar. It's a really really cool story.
So if you missed it, go check it out and
enjoy this beautiful day. Everybody, I love you, Goodbye.
All right, let's go. I'm feeling extra chippy today. It
(00:02):
is Wednesday, June twenty fourth. Yes, my anniversary is today,
my clean date, eighteen years. It's just kind of like
every other day, but it is a day of celebration
for me. You know, it's a day of remembrance and
reflecting on my life, my recovery, my journey, and gratitude
really for all that I've done, how far I've come,
(00:23):
and what I've been able to accomplish. So shout out
to everybody that reached out to me, DMS, calls, talkbacks.
I really really do appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Justin I just want to say thank you. You have
been an inspiration to me. I've been sober for six
weeks and one day after forty years of drinking too
much and struggling period. And I have thought to myself
so many times when I hear you, if he can
(00:51):
do it, I can do it, period. So thank you
for everything, and.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Congrats congratulations to you, because one day is a miracle.
And I love getting those messages. I love hearing that
you know this is a terrible disease. You know, it's
a terrible, terrible, terrible disease. Addiction is one of the
hardest things to overcome. So many of my friends, so
many members of my family, are still struggling that cannot
(01:18):
find a way out, that can't get one day clean.
I share a lot about that on this podcast. So
to get one day is a really America And I
say that all the time because I never thought I
could get one day. That's what it was. I was stuck.
I couldn't get one day. And then when I got
one day, then it was like, well you can get
two days, and then it goes on and on and on,
(01:38):
you know. And I've had lengths of time and relapsed, right,
I had six months before and I relapsed, or you know,
if I was in jail and I wasn't using there
a little bit of time, but I always went back
because I never did the work on myself. You know,
the work is what carries you through. If you don't
change anything in your life, then things aren't going to change.
They're going to stay the same and you're going to
revert back to you know, old behaviors. Character defects all
(02:02):
those things.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Good morning, justin. I woke up this morning and realized
it was Wednesday, and the first thing that crossed my
mind is it is your clean date. So I just
wanted to send you a talk back say congratulations, We're
all proud of you and inspired by you, and keep going.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Ah, thank you, thank you, thank you so much. You know.
I did get so many dms too about a Monday's
podcast about my son and the Father's Day gift and
his baseball tryouts, and then yesterday the Power of Recovery. Guys.
You know, I don't do this podcast. I don't intentionally
make it emotional. I'm really just sharing. That's just really
(02:39):
what it is. I'm just being honest and I'm being
open because I think that being transparent matters. You know,
I don't want to get on here and put on
and you know I'm honest on the air too, but
you know, you limited it on what you can say
in how deep you can go on things. And I
feel like the after Show podcast and you guys, the
Apter Show Army, you know, I can share more about
(03:00):
my life and recovery is like the biggest thing in
my life. My family's the biggest thing in my life.
All those things matter, you know, and that's what I
talk about on this podcast. And I love hearing from
you guys, especially people that struggle and they hear the
message like I got one earlier. Oh my god, this
one's crazy. I want to save it for Maddie and Damon,
(03:20):
but I'll play it now.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Congratulations Justin on eighteen years sober.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
I am fifteen days today and a lot of that
is because of the.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Commercials that you guys run for Power of Recovery.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So I appreciate you guys, and congratulations. Yeah, it's it's
a happy day, but it's emotional as well. So you know,
the first like five years, ten years, you know, I
would like make a big celebration about it because it is.
It is a big day you should celebrate every year.
And I will celebrate, you know, in a sense like
(03:57):
I'm gonna go to a meeting not till you lie,
because I'm gonna go after the fourth of July. But
you know, we used to have these big, big celebrations
with like cake and we go out to dinner, and
you know, everyone's lives have kind of changed. The honest
to God's truth is most of the people that I
got clean with are not clean anymore. You know, they're
not here anymore. Some of them have passed on. Some
(04:17):
of them, you know, have started drinking or smoking weed
or are literally on the street. It's all different things
that are happening. You know. So many times in my
eighteen years, I would build a crew and then the
crew would disband, you know, because we have a disease
that wants us to go. Man, it wants us to go,
(04:38):
and it's really hard, you know. So I got a
couple of my day ones, and you know, I have
a few of my friends, really really close friends that
I got clean with that left recovery. You know, And
because you leave recovery does not mean and this is
this was a hard pill for me to swallow, right
because I was always all in. That's who I am
as a person. That's the kind of addict I am.
(04:59):
I can't be I have one foot in and one
foot out, meaning I can't like drink hair there, or
smoke weed hair there, or a pill hair or there.
I got to be like all in. That's just how
I am. And not everyone is like that. There are
people who get clean and leave recovery and start drinking
or they start smoking weed, and they continue on with
(05:20):
their life. Now that doesn't mean at some point the
addiction in the disease is going to come after them again.
That could very well happen. It is a big, big risk.
And that's what I tell people that make that decision
or are thinking about making that decision. If you are clean,
you are in recovery and you kind of get bored
with it, or you know, your head's telling you. You know,
I can drink, I can be normal. I want to
(05:41):
be social. I want to go out on the weekends.
I want to have a drink on a hot summer day.
You know, I say that to them. That's all well
and good. You are your own human. You can make
your own decision. But is it worth the risk? That's
always what I say. For me, it's not I don't
want to lose this, so I don't fuck around with it.
But yeah, all of my friends, really close friends, made
(06:02):
that decision, and you know what, they're still living their
lives like they haven't been messed up. You know, they're
still going to work and they have families and they
have jobs, and I still see them. You know, they
don't like do that stuff around me, and you know
our relationship isn't as close as it was, you know,
because when they have free time right, when they're not working.
We have busy lives, they have kids and jobs. When
(06:24):
they're not working and spending time, you know, they want
to like relax and have a drink. And they're not
having a drink at Justin's house, you know what I mean.
They're not coming to my house and firing up a
joint or smoking a bowl or whatever they do. They're
not doing that at my house. So the time we
spent together eliminated. But it doesn't matter, Like I don't
love them any less. I don't judge them for that.
And early on in my recovery, I did you know,
I was very hardcore. You know they they talk about
(06:46):
you know, when I tell my story, I talk about
the three people that I've been you know, in my life,
you know, in my recovery.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Right.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
And I got this from like one of my biggest
mentors in recovery. It's like when you when you get clean,
your attict man, right, three men. I was attic man
when I got clean, meaning I was the craziest addict
all my jail stories, et cetera, et cetera. Like that's
that was my identity. I was attic man. Right, And
then you get into recovery, and that switches and then
(07:15):
and then the the active addiction stuff and drug talk
and prison talk. That doesn't cut it anymore because you know,
you're trying to stay clean and you don't live that
life anymore. And then you become recovery man, right, and
now you're speaking all the time, and you're helping people,
and you're sponsoring people, and you're you know, you're just
giving the message away. Recovery is everything. I had t shirts,
(07:36):
I had socks. My wife had had panties that said
keep coming. That's one of the phrases that we say
to people, keep coming, keep coming back, so get it.
It's kind of dirty little thing. Anyway, she had that thong.
And then eventually you move past recovery man, and then
you just realize that you're human, right, is that you're
not You're not recovery man, You're not attic man. You're
(07:56):
just a human being trying to live your life and
be a good person. You know. So when I was recovered,
when I was recovery man, I used to judge those
people like, if you relapsed, you were done for. I
did not believe that you were going to make it.
And it's just not true. Everybody recovers differently. You need
to find out what works for you. And if you're
(08:17):
listening to this and you're like that person that has
fifteen days clean and you just heard me say that,
and you think to yourself, well maybe I can be
one of those people. Well, the next thought you need
to ask yourself. The next question you need to ask
yourself is it worth the risk? Think about that you
pain that you felt leading up to you getting sober,
Think about that bottom, think about when you lost something,
(08:39):
lost everything, the pain, the suffering, drinking or using against
your will. Is the risk worth going back to that?
That's what you need to ask yourself and answer that
question honestly. If you still think that the risk is
worth it is worth that pain again, then try it.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
But I.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Really discourage you from doing that. So I just want
to say thank you to all the well wishes. I really, really,
really really appreciate it so so much. I love this podcast.
I love the after show Army and if you missed
Power of Recovery yesterday, please listen to it. It was
really good. I really liked Maddie's story. It was fantastic
to see where he came from and you know, we
got clean around the same time. And to see you know,
(09:19):
me grow in the entertainment business and him grow in
the recovery world and everything that I've accomplished and he's accomplished,
you know, very similar. It's a really really cool story.
So if you missed it, go check it out and
enjoy this beautiful day. Everybody, I love you, Goodbye.
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